It is common for a digitizing tablet to operate in conjunction with a handheld stylus. It is also known for handheld wand-like or stylus-like tools to include switches to control or activate some process involving the tool. Certain problems arise in a digitizing application, however, when pushbutton switches are included on a stylus. First, pressing a switch on the stylus can cause an unwanted movement of the tip of the stylus. It would be desirable if the geometry of the stylus and its switches were arranged to minimize the tendency of the point to move during the application of force to actuate the switches. Next, if the shape of the stylus allows the hand to grip the stylus in different rotational positions relative to the switches from one use to the next, it can be difficult to always activate the switches with a motion that does not disturb the stylus position. It would be desirable if the cross-sectional shape of the stylus served both to orient the stylus in the hand for the optimum application of force to the switches as well as to provide a comfortable fit between the fingers. And finally, it would be desirable if the stylus incorporated means to lay the stylus down and then pick it up again with easy quick motions and yet have it be correctly oriented in the hand.
The tendency of the point of the stylus to move may be minimized by (a) noting the angle at which the body of the stylus is most often held while in use, and then angling the tip of the stylus relative to the body so that the tip is nearly, but not quite, perpendicular to the platen, or digitizing surface, in conjunction with (b) angling the caps of the pushbutton switches on the stylus to allow the switches to be actuated with a generally downward motion toward the platen, and (c) arranging that the line of action for the pushbutton switches be such that a force applied by an actuating finger forces the stylus against the platen substantially along the axis of the tip. The tendency of the stylus to rotate in the hand from one use to the next may be reduced by imparting a substantially triangular cross section to the body of the stylus. Lastly, by noting that most users lay the stylus down by simply bending their wrist and releasing their grip, resulting in the stylus laying upside down and pointing towards the hand, a pair of legs or a winged member attached to the stylus body at the end opposite the tip will keep the stylus from rolling and in the position it was in when released. It is then a very easy task to simply reverse the motions of the hand to retrieve the stylus in one quick movement.